1+1 l Kateřina Šedá

1+1 l Kateřina Šedá

10. February - 7. April, 2007

Arratia Beer is pleased to present 1+1 by the Czech artist Kateřina Šedá, marking her début solo exhibition in Germany.

In her projects and public interventions, Šedá (* Brno, 1977) scrutinises the daily routines pursued by individuals journeying along the various paths of their lives. Šedá’s own artistic development traces a pattern of concentric circles enclosing her personal environment. In “It Doesn’t Matter”, the artist conveys intimate details from her family milieu to the outside world. Her grandmother, Jana is the protagonist of this work. Jana suffered a deep depression for many years, triggered by her retirement and the death of her husband. After being the head of the tools stock in a hardware store in Brno for 33 years, Jana decided, in the words of Šedá to “become completely inactive”: “‘It doesn’t matter’. That’s the answer she gives to most of our questions. And even though she’s healthy and self-sufficient, we’re forced to do absolutely everything for her, including make decisions for her (...) that is what inspires me to try to get her to do something, which could also open new discussions for us.”

In an attempt to revive Jana’s active life, Kateřina Šedá proposed her a challenge, namely that her grandmother should sketch the range of goods sold in the hardware store. It turned out that Jana was able to sketch and name each one of the 650 items on sale, including size, shapes and price. The exhibition includes the drawings, documentation and interviews, which gives the spectator a glimpse into the 3 year process of the project, as well as a video which depicts Jana drawing in her kitchen while talking to her granddaughter. The straightforward video, where the camera “dances” around Jana, reveals a very personal moment where affection and subtle irony intercepts and offsets each other.

Kateřina Šedá trained at the Academy of Arts in Prague. In 2005, she was the recipient of the Essl Award and the Jindrich Chalupecky Award, Her work has been included in the Prague’s Biennale 2, and “Hotspots & Essl Award” at the Essl Collection in Vienna.

1+1 l Kateřina Šedá

1+1 l Kateřina Šedá

10. February - 7. April, 2007

Arratia Beer is pleased to present 1+1 by the Czech artist Kateřina Šedá, marking her début solo exhibition in Germany.

In her projects and public interventions, Šedá (* Brno, 1977) scrutinises the daily routines pursued by individuals journeying along the various paths of their lives. Šedá’s own artistic development traces a pattern of concentric circles enclosing her personal environment. In “It Doesn’t Matter”, the artist conveys intimate details from her family milieu to the outside world. Her grandmother, Jana is the protagonist of this work. Jana suffered a deep depression for many years, triggered by her retirement and the death of her husband. After being the head of the tools stock in a hardware store in Brno for 33 years, Jana decided, in the words of Šedá to “become completely inactive”: “‘It doesn’t matter’. That’s the answer she gives to most of our questions. And even though she’s healthy and self-sufficient, we’re forced to do absolutely everything for her, including make decisions for her (...) that is what inspires me to try to get her to do something, which could also open new discussions for us.”

In an attempt to revive Jana’s active life, Kateřina Šedá proposed her a challenge, namely that her grandmother should sketch the range of goods sold in the hardware store. It turned out that Jana was able to sketch and name each one of the 650 items on sale, including size, shapes and price. The exhibition includes the drawings, documentation and interviews, which gives the spectator a glimpse into the 3 year process of the project, as well as a video which depicts Jana drawing in her kitchen while talking to her granddaughter. The straightforward video, where the camera “dances” around Jana, reveals a very personal moment where affection and subtle irony intercepts and offsets each other.

Kateřina Šedá trained at the Academy of Arts in Prague. In 2005, she was the recipient of the Essl Award and the Jindrich Chalupecky Award, Her work has been included in the Prague’s Biennale 2, and “Hotspots & Essl Award” at the Essl Collection in Vienna.